Saturday, 10 September 2016

Olympic Games was over and we
had around 15 days before the Paralympic Games starts. We decided to visit and
see as many places possible during the break time between Olympic and
Paralympic Games. I made a list of places that I wanted to see in Rio and
surrounding cities. Visiting Sao Paulo was an option that I had in mind but did not work out at the end.

Does it require a Caption???

We decided to complete all the
formalities for the Paralympic Games like collecting our Paralympic kits and
venue specific training as early as possible in order to make ourselves free. Booked
to collect my uniforms on the very first day and booked for venue specific
training on 27 September 2016.

Santa Teresa!!!

Rio 2016 organizing committee started
distributing accreditation cards and uniforms from 22 August and we collected our
uniforms and accreditation cards on the very first day. For the Paralympic Games
we have received three shirts, one cap and one jacket. We were told to use the
same pants and trainers for the Paralympic Games as well. Grrrrr!!!

View from the top of the mountain!!!

I am part of event services
for both games so my color of my shirts and jacket remained same for the
Paralympic Games as well. They have just changed the logo.

On our way to "Escadaria Selaron"

We decided to visit around twenty
six places from the list I produced. This is a long list and we decided to
start with a very attractive place called “Escadaria Selarón” which is located
at a place called “Santa Teresa” and not very far from our apartment. Took a
bus and it took around thirty minutes.

Thousands of visitors visit this every day!!!

Escadaria Selarón is running
from Joaquim Silva Street and Pinto Martins street, officially known as Manuel
Carneiro Street, the steps straddle both the Lapa and Santa Teresa neighborhoods
in Rio de Janeiro. There are 215 steps measuring 125 meters long which are
covered in over 2000 tiles collected from over 60 countries around the world.

The Kaaba!!!

The steeps were designed and
created by a Chilean artist named “Jorge Selarón”. Jorge Selarón was born in
Chile in 1947. He traveled, lived and worked as a painter and sculptor in over
50 countries around the world before arriving and deciding to settle in Rio de
Janeiro in 1983.

Selfie!!!

He began renovating the steps on
a whim in 1990. Many times, his phone was cut off and he was threatened to be
evicted from his house due to being unable to afford the living costs. He sold
many paintings and accepted donations from locals and travelers to continue his
work. Since 1977, Selarón claimed to have sold over 25,000 portraits, all
featuring the same pregnant woman which mostly funded his work.

Razon Vai blackmail korte Chaye ei picture dia!!!

It was a labor of love for the
artist who resided in the same house by the steps he lived in when he started
the work. He was mostly unfazed by the attention given to him by curious
onlookers and tourists alike. He was constantly spotted at the steps working by
day and treating drunken revelers to fascinating anecdotes by night.

View from the top!!!

Selarón was found dead January
10, 2013, on the famous Lapa steps. His body was found with burn marks.

!!!

On our way back we saw a
direction to a park called “Parque Das Ruinas” (in English Ruinas Park), we had enough time and decided to pay a visit. The
park is located on top of the mountain and it offers a unique panoramic view of
the geography of Rio de Janeiro, with a broad view of Guanabara Bay from one
side and the Centro from the other side.

And he was trying to do something different!!!

It is a public park with an
art gallery built around the ruins of a mansion, located in the Santa Teresa
neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a venue for live outdoor concerts
and houses a bar. It was a very productive day!!!

Thursday, 1 September 2016

I am glad that I took the decision and came here as a
volunteer. This is a great opportunity to meet people from all over the world.
Most importantly Olympic is the biggest platform to represent Bangladesh among
fellow volunteers. It’s really nice to see the appreciation and love for my
work and for Bangladesh among my team mates.

We had fun!!!

I did seven days of work for the Olympic Games. For the
first two shifts I was posted outside where my responsibility was to guide
games spectators to complete security checks.

Rio 2016 Olympic Park, Barra da Tijuca!!!

But I was part of the ticket control team for the rest of my
shifts where my main responsibility was to validate tickets by scanning bar
codes printed on the tickets. We had four to five volunteers and a team leader
for each team. We had fun.

We all become Usain Bolt!!!

I am staying for the Paralympic Games and will be based at
the famous Maracana Stadium and Olympic Stadium. Stay tuned for more
excitement.

EVS Ticket Control Team!!!

Two of very famous Bengali newspapers published my Rio 2016
journey. Famous and very popular Prothom-Alo and banglatribune.com are the two
newspapers. banglatribune.com was the first to publish and its journalist Saddif
Ovee wrote the article. Thanks Mamu for your hard work and support. Click on the link below to read the article:

Prothom-Alo published my 2016 volunteering journey on both
online and print version. The article has been published on 28 August 2016 on “Chutir
Dine”. Famous Bangladeshi writer Mr. Anisul Hoque Sir helped me to reach out
Prothom-Alo team. Thank you very much Sir. Famous journalist Mr. Pallab
Mohaimen from Prothom-Alo translated the article and helped to publish. Thank
you Pallab Vai for your hard work.

Monday, 29 August 2016

There were at least ten approved volunteers from Bangladesh
that I know of however some of them were unable to come to Brazil due to the
limited time they had for the preparation. However five of us managed to come
from Bangladesh.

Olympic Symbol!!! Rio 2016 Olympic Park at Barra da Yijuca!!!

My roommate Md. Mashurul Hoque is an Ex-Employee of Contact
Center, Grameenphone Ltd. Resigned for Rio 2016 Olympic Games. See the level of
dedication and willingness to represent his country. Don’t just question what
is the point and what will you get in return? Trust me you will understand his
explanation. Only few of us will understand. Anyway he came one day before me
and he is assigned as an International Relationship Protocol Member. He looks
after IOC and NOC family members at an Olympic venue named Sambódromo &
Olympic Stadium. He also missed face to face training like me as he came here
late.

With Razon Vai!!!

Pial Rezwan is another volunteer from Bangladesh who had to
miss a semester from his university in order to participate at the Rio 2016
Olympic Games. He is based at Olympic venue Maracanãzinho and volunteer as a
press operation member. He looks after all the press and media people at Maracanãzinho.
He is staying at a hostel near my apartment.

Olympic Mega store at Rio 2016 Olympic Park. Barra da Tijuca!!!

Transport team member Aynul Islam Shakib is based at the
Barra Olympic Park and he arrived Rio before all of us. He looks after athletes
and team official at the pickup and drop off location at the parking area.
There is another volunteer from Bangladesh named Dr. Bari who is based at Tom
Jobim International Airport. He works as a member of International relationship
protocol.

Saturday, 27 August 2016

Missed my venue specific and fist two shifts because of the
flight cancellation. I am currently volunteering with the Event Services Team
(EVS) based at Olympic Stadium. EVS team members are responsible to do variety
of tasks with the main focus of spectator management both inside and outside of
the stadium.

EVS Team at the Workforce Entrance!!!

I work at the main entrance of the stadium where we are the
first point of contact for the spectators. We guide them to pass the security
check and scan their tickets and finally guide them to their designated seat
written on their tickets. It’s not as simple as it sounds as the Stadium can
accommodate around 47,000 people and managing them before the games is tough.
But we enjoy what we do.

Olympic Stadium!!! Bangladeshi Flag!!!

Most of our spectators do not speak English at all but it
does not create too much problem as my Brazilian team members are awesome and
always extent their helping hand.

And we have the opportunity to go inside!!!

I have nine days of work for the Olympic Games at the same
location and at every shift we have one hour lunch break. We are provided with
one meal for every shift we do. They have different menus for every day.

Lunch!!!

Before coming here my colleagues, friends and family members
warned me as Brazil considered to be an unsafe place. Even my Brazilian friends
and colleagues share the same feelings about the security situation in some
part of Rio de Janeiro. To some extent they are right as some places are
dangerous. However bad thing happens everywhere not just in Brazil but in
Europe, America, Asia and Africa.

Olympic Stadium!!! Rio 2016!!!

I consider myself a traveler not a tourist and want to
experience real Brazil. I want to see how they lead their life and I am sure by
the end of my journey at Rio 2016 I will be able to taste a real Brazil.

Sunday, 21 August 2016

I am staying at a one bedroom semi-furnished apartment
located on top of a Mountain near Rio Central. View from the apartment is
priceless however the apartment does not come with a proper bed and other
auxiliary home appliances.

View from My Apartment

My host Rosemberg De Araújo Silva Araújo is works with the
Brazilian Military and also a volunteer for Rio 2016 but he does not speak
English at all and I don’t understand Portuguese. So we have to depend google
translate app which is very useful.

With my Host at the Airport (GIG)

I was tired of nearly two days of flight and needed a very
good sleep. I told him that I need to sleep. He left and I went to bed straight.
Before leaving he informed me that I should meet him tomorrow so that he can show the way to the Uniform and Accreditation Collection Center. I went to bed
and slept really well. Next morning after having breakfast I and my host went
to the Uniform and Accreditation Collection Center which is around 10-15
minutes walking distance from my apartment.

My Olympic Kit!!!

It was like 8.30 AM and the line was not that big. It took
around 30 minutes to complete the whole process. Now I am with my accreditation
and uniforms and ready to do my part. I was so excited to meet my team.

Pier Maua!!!

At the
center I met a native volunteer who came to collect his uniform. His name is Savio
Ferreira Ribeiro he is part of Doping Control Team. After uniform collection we
went to central to buy a SIM Card (Brazilian call it CHIP Card). After trying
several SIM cards it appeared that my phone does not support Brazilian SIM. Sweet!!! But I am so grateful to this guy.

With Savio Ferreira Ribeiro, On our way to Central!!!

I had two days of work and then four days off. I missed my
first two shifts because of ticket cancellation. My next available shift was on
12 August 2016. So I had three days to familiarize myself with the transport and
venues. My host took me to my venue Olympic Stadium (it known as Estádio Nilton
Santos – Engenhão to locals) and on our way back we went to see the famous
stadium Maracana. After Maracana we went to see probably the most famous beach
in the world. “Copacabana”

In front of Famous Maracana Stadium!!!

My workplace is just three stops away from my station which
is good but it takes around 20 minutes’ walk from my home to the nearest station
known as Central do Brasil. According to Wikipedia Central do Brasil is the
most important train station in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. It is the
last stop of Rio's railway network, as well as a hub for connection with the
city subway and a bus station. However to locals it is one of the most unsafe stations
at the City.

Copacabana!!!

On very next day (11 August 2016) my host, his two Sons and
I went to Rio Olympic Boulevard and Pier Mauá two of the most attractive places
of Rio de Janeiro. Had a great day out. A good start of my Rio Journey began.

Friday, 19 August 2016

It was a long flight from Dhaka
to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I took a Malaysia Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur
(KL), Malaysia. From there took a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul. From
Istanbul to Sao Paulo with Turkish Airlines and finally Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro with GOL.

No we can’t issue you a baggage
tag till Rio de Janeiro/Sao Paulo as Malaysia Airlines does not have code share
agreement with Turkish Airlines. That was the answer from the guy at the
Check-In point at Dhaka Airport. He insisted that I should collect the luggage by
myself from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). When I asked him do I
need a visa to collect my luggage? He replied no.

On Board. Ready to Fly. Excited!!!

Flight to Kuala Lumpur was smooth
and it was just under four hours although the flight was delayed by one hour. I
had around four hours to complete all the formalities. However I was unable to
collect my main luggage as I did not have a visa. I was told by the Turkish
staffs that I should go to Sao Paulo and make a report at the Turkish
help desk for my luggage and they will collect my luggage and send it to me
through their next available flight.

At Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Changing Terminal to catch my next flight.

I started to feel uncomfortable
on my second flight that took off from KL. It took around 11 hours to reach Ataturk
Airport, Istanbul. Reached Istanbul at around 4.10 AM Istanbul Time on 09 August and as usual
seen massive crowds at the transfer desk that I have seen before. I had around 4.30 hours to spend at Ataturk
Airport and if you love Turkish Delight like me 4.30 hours will fly so quickly
that next time you would even want longer transit time at Istanbul. There are so
many shops where you can try different flavored of delights for free and buy some for
home.

At Ataturk International Airport, Istanbul, Turkey. Waiting for my next flight to Sao Paulo!!!

My flight to Sao Paulo took off around 9.10 AM Istanbul time. It was a 13.30 hours long flight from Istanbul to Sao Paulo.
Reached Guarulhos Airport, Sao Paulo at around 4.55 PM local time. I was so tired
but excited about the upcoming journey. My flight to Rio de Janeiro was a domestic
flight so I had to go through the passport control. After immigration control
went to the Turkish Airlines help desk and made a report about my luggage. They
took my details and asked me to wait for their confirmation.

At Guarulhos International Airport, Sao Paulo, Brazil. On my way to to Domestic Terminal to catch a flight to Rio de Janeiro

It was just one hour from Sao
Paulo to Rio de Janeiro. My friend from Rio de Janeiro was waiting for me at
the airport. It did not take too long to find him. I was so excited.

Friday, 5 August 2016

Rio 2016 will be my third Olympic
Games participation and this time I am applying from my beloved country
Bangladesh. Applying from a developing country like Bangladesh is fun and challenging.

Applied and got accepted as a
volunteer. I was confident because of my previous participation in London 2012 and Sochi 2014 which gave me valuable experiences about the games and gave me confident
that I needed to face the interview. Volunteers are the heart of the games. They make
the games happen and make it memorable for the athletes, team officials and spectators.
Games Makers from London 2012 were amazing and volunteers from Sochi 2016 were
also been amazing. I am sure volunteers from Rio 2016 will also be amazing.
However journey for Rio 2016 volunteers were not smooth and efficient.
Organizing Committee made it to the last minute to send invitation letters to
the selected volunteers.

A lot of national and
international volunteers had to abandon their dream to Rio 2016 because they
received their invitation in the last minute and did not have enough time to
organize their journey.

Fortunately I received my invitation
a bit earlier. I was told to apply for tourist visa however Brazilian Embassy
in Dhaka, Bangladesh requires a long list of documents. Produced all the
requested documents and submitted my application to the embassy here in Dhaka.

Bought my ticket about two months
ago to get a better deal. However the agency that I bought my tickets from
forgot to pay to the airline company so the airlines cancelled my tickets. I
was supposed to fly on 28 July 2016 and reach there on 29 August. My shift
starts from 06 August 2016 and I have a venue specific training schedule on 01
August 2016. I missed my training and surely going to miss my first two shifts.

The agency gave me another ticket
for 07 August 2016 via Kuala Lumpur and Istanbul. All packed and I am flying
tomorrow In Shah Allah.